John 15:3 - Have You Been Pruned?

John 15:3
“You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.”

Grapevines, especially when professionally tended, are amazing. Sometime after the harvest, and before new growth begins, vine growers will take time to trim off all the branches from the previous year, leaving just a few stronger branches, which they tie to a taut wire to hold them firm while they grow for the next harvest.

When the growing season gets under way, it is amazing how little time passes before the bare, clean branches explode with fresh, new green leaves. It seems like they pop out almost over night!

Some grape vineyards have been tended for many, many generations. It is not uncommon to learn that vines planted by great-great-grandfathers are still being tended by great-great-grandsons. Each generation has passed on to the next the knowledge of how to trim, prune, and encourage the vines to produce year after year.

In this passage, Jesus compares Himself to the vine, us to the branches, and God to the gardener. We can see a few important things about our relationship to Him and God through looking at grapes.

There are a few facts that are universally accepted about how to tend to the vines:

— If you want a good harvest you must drastically trim back the vines once each year — as much as nine tenths of the vine’s branches! —

When our own desires are left unchecked, we choke out any new fruit. We can become so comfortable in our own lives that we forget our goal of bearing fruit for the Lord, and become more focused on making our own situations better. We must realize that we need pruning to be fruitful — and drastic pruning!

— Grapes only grow on new wood. —

If not pruned, and left to grow on their own, the vines might produce an abundance of fruit, but the quality is very poor — and sometimes the burden of so many branches and so much poor fruit strains the ability of the plant to support any harvest at all.

Have you ever seen someone busy to the point where they are not accomplishing anything? There are times when we would benefit from stepping back and looking at what it is that keeps us busy. Are we using our resources — our time, money, talents — to the best results? Or are we just — busy?

— Knowing when to prune is as important as knowing how to prune. —

Pruning too early or too late can damage the plant.

The good news? We aren’t responsible for pruning! 

God prunes — He knows when and how we need to be trimmed back for the best results. We simply need to look for His hand at work, and be willing to let go of the parts of our lives that God deems useless for His harvest — and remember that with every snip of His shears, comes the promise of more abundance.

John 14:15 - What Motivates You?

John 14:15:
“If you love me, you will obey what I command..”

Parents hope their children will love them -- and not just love them -- but obey them, too.

Our parents knew that most of our problems with disobedience came from a lack of attention -- we would get distracted -- enticed -- tired.

When we got off the track, they would apply a remedy to remind us -- a gentle swat on the bottom -- a measure of time set off to ourselves -- an undesirable chore to do. You know what worked with you!

Punishment is a time-honored way for parents to encouraging discipline. In fact, when most people hear the word “discipline,” they think of punishment. It has a way of encouraging good behavior because the discomfort of the punishment is worse than obeying the rules.

But, at some point, punishment can lose its effectiveness. Were there times when taking the punishment was more attractive than doing what your parents wanted? Did you get too big to discipline effectively, (or just developed a thick layer of calluses where you sit?)

Parents are smart, though, and when they see punishment is not working, they often turn to the other time-honored method of getting results -- rewards!

A reward can help keep our attention focused! -- How many parents have given rewards for good behavior -- filled little pockets with coins for weeding the garden, or helping to keep rooms clean?

But -- like punishment -- a system of rewards can become less effective, especially when children become young adults and they decide the reward doesn’t merit the effort needed to attain it. Did your parents have enough money to reward you for good grades in college?

Punishment and rewards both have a place in discipline. Each has a time, a place, and a purpose. Both, though, have a point where they can become ineffective.

Hopefully, before that time comes, a parent has been able to build up momentum -- a sort of critical mass -- where the discipline of their children is not based on either punishment or reward, but in stead is based on their love for their parents.

Motivation based on how much pain can be avoided, or how much of a reward can be obtained, does not have a long life. But, when a child has a love for his parents, there is no end to their wanting to please them -- even well after their parents are gone.

Love is a much better system for motivating and maintaining discipline. Jesus knew that. He hopes our obedience is a fruit of our love for Him.

God can give you more than you can imagine, and can punish you beyond your fears -- there is a Heaven, and there is a Hell -- a reward, or a punishment.

God, our true Parent, wants our affection and obedience.

Yes, we should both fear Him, and look to Him for our source of life -- but the true motivation He desires for our obedience to Him is to come from our love for Him.

1 John 5:2-4:  This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

John 13:34-35 - Love Sets Us Apart

John 13:34-35:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Did you know that corporations spend millions of dollars every year just to keep their names, images, and reputations from being confused with someone else?

Trademarks, copyrights and patents are all designed to help a company control and distinguish itself form others, and they are vigilantly guarded against infringement.

“Aspirin,” “Kerosene,” “Linoleum,” “Videotape” and “Zipper” were once trademarks, but because of a lack of diligence to protect these names from misuse, (or in the case of Aspirin, the spoils of World War I,) they have become generic terms for many similar products.

Especially in our world today, we see many products that look similar, and because of the presence of “knock-offs,” they even bear the same names. But, when you examine them closely, there is some trait, characteristic or element that separates the real from the fake -- the authentic from the imitation.

It is the same with “Christianity.”

The book of Acts, as well as the other letters of the New Testament, show us what Christians are. We see how people seeking God came into contact with the cleansing power of the Gospel, and began to lead new lives -- following the path that leads to eternal life with God and the redeemed. And, it is the same today. The power of the Gospel is as strong now as it ever was. A believer can find his way to God through studying His Word.

But -- what about finding others who are also believers?

Unfortunately, “Christianity” is as full of “knock-offs” as the world is. Many call themselves “Christian” -- and have found others to follow along with them -- but do not follow the true pattern found in the Word of God -- do not follow God’s pattern, but have forged their own similar pattern.

The problem with forging a “similar pattern” is that it is not the “authentic” pattern -- not what God, Himself, through Christ, revealed to us.

As His disciples were gathered together in the upper room, Jesus gave them their distinguishing mark -- they were to have a deep love and concern for each other.

As Christians, our following the teachings of the New Testament -- obeying the Gospel -- is of vital importance. But, the distinguishing element that separates Christ’s true followers from all the “copy-cat Christians,” is how we interact with each other -- how we exhibit our concern for the well-being of our fellow believers.

All of the elements might be in place -- all the doctrinal issues might be just right -- all of the practices might be perfectly aligned with Scripture -- but it is our LOVE that sets us apart.

1 John 3:10: This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

1 John 1:4: Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

John 13:6-10 - Wash My Feet?

John 13:6-10:
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”

Have you ever taken the trouble to get all dressed and ready to go to a special event -- like a wedding or a funeral -- only to have a tough time staying clean before the event starts?

It seems everything you come in contact with leaves something behind -- lint -- dust -- stains!

Imagine how difficult it was for the disciples -- they didn't enjoy our carpets, paved walkways, and vinyl flooring. Even though they bathed, as they walked from place to place, their feet would not stay clean.

Jesus, understanding this, used the occasion to teach His disciples. He got up, dressed Himself appropriately for the task, and began cleaning His disciples’ feet before dinner.

As Peter often did, he voiced his opinion… “No, you will never wash my feet!”

He saw the act of washing his feet as a demeaning task for his Master to be doing for him. Maybe the others would let Jesus, but Peter was not about to have anything to do with demeaning the Master!

Jesus explained, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”

Oh? -- If that was the case, then Peter suddenly saw it all differently -- “Then wash my hands and head as well, and not just my feet!” -- Peter wanted Jesus to know that he was “all in.” He wanted everything to do with Jesus.

But -- and here is the valuable lesson -- Jesus told Peter that he didn't need the “full-body treatment,’ just his feet. Peter was clean already, and just needed a “spot treatment” where he had come in contact with the filth of the world. For Peter, at that moment, it was his feet.

Like Peter, if we have obeyed the Gospel, we have been washed clean by the cleansing blood of the Lamb. Though we try to stay clean, we still have some contact with the world that leaves some spiritual -- lint -- dust --  stains  -- on us. Those “spots” are the parts that need attention.

As Christians, we try to stay clean -- try to be free of the sin and filth of this world -- but we also know that we cannot remain completely clean.

Jesus knows this too. And that is why He -- even now -- washes the feet of His disciples!

Our challenge is to do the best we can to keep clean -- and make Jesus’ task easy.

1 John 1:7:  This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

John 9:25 - What Do I Need to Know?

John 9:25:
He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

How many letters behind your name do you need to collect before you are useful to the Lord? Is there a minimum number of years you need to study, or a test that you take to allow you to serve the Lord?

Not according to a blind man -- no, make that a formerly blind man.

This man -- born blind -- had been directly benefitted by a miracle performed by Jesus. He had felt Christ spread mud over his eyes, and had followed His instructions to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. And because of Jesus -- he could now see!

Everyone around him was either amazed, astonished or confused. Some had said that he couldn't be the same beggar they passed everyday -- but he adamantly confirmed that he was!

Once the Pharisees got involved, their usual legalistic attitude came into action -- this miracle had happened on a Sabbath. “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.”

These leaders questioned the man, but they were unwilling to believe his story, and brought in the man’s parents to verify that he had actually been born blind. His parents verified his story, but when they were pressured for more information, they simply said, “He is old enough. Ask him!”

The second round of questioning of the formerly blind man didn't go as expected. Speaking only from what he knew to be unquestionably true, he was able to stifle the arguments given by the Jewish leaders -- the same people, who if alive today, would undoubtedly have letters, degrees, and all manor of scholarly titles after their names.

Truth has a way of doing that.

He simply answered, “...I know this: I was blind, and now I see!” -- That was all he needed to tell them.

And, that is all we need, too. We simply need to tell what we know -- what we have read for ourselves in Scripture -- and what we know to be true from our own understanding and experience.

There is no “official interpretation” of Scripture that we need to have spoon-fed to us. Though scholarship is important -- the authority does not come from the interpreter -- but from the Word of God itself. What someone tells you, regardless of their “status,” does not matter if it conflicts with what you read in God’s Word.

2 Timothy 3:16-17:  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Galatians 1:7b-8:  Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!

What matters most is -- our own study of God’s Word.

2 Timothy 2:15:  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

Exodus 40:16 - Worship God His Way

Exodus 40:16:
Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded him. 

Is there any question that God is concerned about how we worship Him?

The several chapters that precede this verse are filled with detailed instructions about the construction of the tabernacle, the choices of materials to be used -- even the names of the craftsmen who are to do the work!

Without a doubt, God had a definite purpose and design for how He wanted to be worshiped by Israel.

How He is worshiped is something that He is still concerned with today.

Somehow, though, many “religious” people today believe that the method and means for worshiping God is subject to their whim.

You have probably heard a friend or two say they worship God whenever they are out in nature. Or maybe they tell you that they worship God in their “own personal way.” A few might have even told you they can only worship God when they are in a particular place.

God has not given us as detailed instructions as He gave to the Levites, but if you read the New Testament, you can see He has His wishes for us today as well.

Have you looked into the Scriptures to see if the way you are worshiping the Lord is His way? Having the desire to worship the Lord is a great thing, but it is important to worship Him in His way.

Had Noah decided that Cedar was more convenient than Gopher wood, would God have allowed the ark to float?

If having the Sabbath on Thursday made more sense to Moses than Saturday,  would God have been pleased?

John 4:23-24: "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

In Matthew 15:-9, Jesus quoted Isaiah 29:13: “‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”

How are you worshiping God? Carefully examine Scripture to see if you are pleasing God -- or just pleasing yourself.

Romans 12:2 - Think Outside the Box

Romans 12:2:
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Think outside the box?”

This is Paul’s version.

Having a preconceived idea is sometimes the hardest part of thinking. It tends to have you thinking about the expected answer without looking at the situation clearly.

“If all you have is a hammer, everything you see looks like a nail.”

Paul is telling the Romans to be careful about being so closely conformed to the desires -- expectations -- values -- and traditions of this world. If they (or we) have the world in their (our) hearts, then it will be all too easy to rationalize -- justify -- excuse -- gloss over the times they (we) stray from God’s Will.

In the previous verse, Paul told the Romans that even offering their bodies as a living sacrifice to God was their true and proper worship. What he was telling them, was that they should not even consider themselves as their own -- but God’s. Who they were -- and what they had -- belonged to God.

If we follow Paul’s advice, we will look closely at all things from the perspective of God’s Will.

This means everything!

Have you considered whether you daily work is conflicting with God’s Will? -- Does it cause you to miss worship services? -- Tend to cause small “compromises” with what you know is right? -- Place you in situations that are not “healthy” for your spiritual growth?

How about your friends and associates? -- Is your influence on them moving you both closer to God -- or are they working against you, hindering your progress?

Examine your hobbies, recreation and all your personal pursuits. -- Do they glorify God, strengthen your spirit, magnify your efforts to further the Lord’s work -- or just satiate your desires?

Colossians 3:1-4:  Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.